April Jones Missing: Police Urge 'Well-Wishers' To Leave Search

Police have said that they have no further news on missing five-year-old April Jones's whereabouts and that they are continuing to focus on a "systematic and methodical" search of Machynlleth.

40 trained police officers, dog handlers and mountain rescue teams continued the search for April overnight, who has now been missing for over 36 hours.

A 46-year-old man from Machynletth was arrested on suspicion of abduction of April on Tuesday afternoon. He has been named locally as Mark Bridger and is believed to be known to the five-year-old's family.

April's mother and father, Coral and Paul Jones. They are said to be "shattered" by her disappearance

April Jones: She was wearing a purple coat when she disappeared

His empty car was recovered soon after, police said on Tuesday evening.

Superintendent Ian John of Dyfed Powys Police told a press conference on Wednesday: "As today goes on and we conduct interviews with the man in custody, we anticipate intelligence coming out of interviews that will the drive search operation."

Thanking volunteers for their help, Superintendent Ian John added "We are very conscious of the safety of people who are volunteering to come along. There are challenging conditions out there and the river Dovey is in flood."

April Jones has been missing since Monday

He said the police have a number of names and email addresses of people who had volunteered to help, but for now he urged well-wishers to leave the search to " trained and skilled" professionals.

On Tuesday night in a statement her mother Coral and father Paul said they had been left "shattered" by the abduction.

Forensic officers are examining the van found close to the suspect and described it as "a vehicle he had use of which is of interest to the inquiry." The car is a mid-90s Land Rover Discover, L-registration with left-hand drive.

Mr John also confirmed that police had made inquiries about registered sex offenders known to be living in the area.

April's godmother Mair Raftree, 41, from Aberystwyth, who has helped with the efforts to find her, said: "She's a quiet girl, and an important member of her family. She would never go with anybody and ask for a lift. We just want her back safely."

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Search Continues For April Jones After Man Arrested On Suspicion Of Murder

ABERYSTWYTH, WALES - OCTOBER 08: A police officer tries to prevent a member of the public from getting at a prison van believed to contain Mark Bridger as it leaves Aberystwyth Justice Centre on October 8, 2012 in Aberystwyth, Wales. Five-year-old April Jones was abducted from outside her house last week in Machynlleth, Wales and Bridger was arrested last Tuesday, the day after she went missing and has been charged with her murder, abduction and perverting the course of justice. Police continue their search for the young girl. (Photo by Christopher Furlong/Getty Images)